King James Version
The Book of 1 Samuel
Chapter 19
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Commentary
by G. Neil Armstrong
Saul had developed such a hatred in his heart for David, because of his success and because of the People that did favor him so, that he began to try killing David any way he could. Saul was even willing to kill David in his sick bed, if it were so that he was sick and in bed at the time. Jonathan loved David so much that he went against the will his father, Saul, and told David about Saul's intentions to kill him. David was ready for Saul's attempt on his life. When Saul threw the javelin, David was able to escape the attempt and flee away from Saul.
Michal, Saul's daughter, David's wife, also loved David enough to go against Saul's purpose to kill him. She helped him to escape in the night, before the messengers came to deliver him to Saul. Michal must have known that Saul would be angry and that she would not be able to feign innocence because she told the messengers that David was in bed, sick. The form that appeared to be David in the bed was not him, but a deception to buy David some time for escape.
All of this lying and deception from people of integrity to rescue David from certain death proves that Davids stature had grown considerably by now. Certainly some years had passed sense David was tending the sheep on his fathers land. Maybe David had first come to Saul more than 5 years before. A lot has happened and much more is to come.
When David fled, he went to Samuel in Ramah. Every effort that Saul had made to retain David resulted in God's intervention as the Holy Spirit came upon them all and instead of an attempt to capture David, they began to prophesy. This happened even to Saul when he decided to go himself to retain David. Remember that the reason David came to Saul in the very beginning was to play the harp for him, to soothe him because the Spirit of God had departed from Saul. Now the very same Holy Spirit is come between him and David to save David and to vie against Saul.
When the will of God is set for man, nothing at all can change the course of His will. Saul was clearly determined to kill David by any means necessary and yet, God was willing to prevent David's death by any means necessary. I notice that God did not simply kill Saul, to eliminate the threat on David's life. Instead, God chose to demonstrate supernatural phenomenon by filling Saul with the Spirit so that Saul stripped off his clothes and lay down naked all that day and night. The People had to ask, "is Saul also among the prophets?"
Maybe God's will to set things along this particular course included further training for David's future. This training runs deep, to the very core of David's heart. Now Michal is home, alone and away from him. Jonathan and he were close friends. Maybe David pondered these things as he lay awake at night. Would he lose his beloved wife and close friend? Would they, too, turn against him to break his heart and kill him? I wonder if David cried when he was all alone and left with his thoughts. Not even David is perfect, but there is nothing imperfect about expression of emotions in such a manner. I am certain that David was not stolid about all of this and that it must weigh very heavily in his heart. Sure, he had seen much battle and victory over his enemy. At this point, he had definitely developed a great deal of courage. Did he have feelings? Did he love deeply and intimately? Certainly, he did! He was a man after God's own heart, after all!
In our current lives we can think of this time in David's life and remind ourselves a lesson that Joseph had learned some centuries earlier; what the enemy means for evil, God means for good.
